Automatic identification-stamp.



LPATENTED APR. 2, 1907.

J. T. EARLE. AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION STAMP.

APPLICATION IILI ID JULY 8.1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 848,887. PATENTED APR. 2, 1907.

J. T. EARLE.

AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION STAMP. APPLICATION FILED JULY8.1904.

2 SHEETS-S33E12.

WITNESSES I I I IIVVENTOI? 2%? (24% m PETERS co., wAsnyNnn-m, u. c

UNITED STATES JAMES THOMAS EARLE, OF LATONIA, KENTUCKY.

AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION-STAMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 2, 1907.

Application filed July 8, 1904. Serial No. 215,837.

T0 62% whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J AMES THOMAS EARLE, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Dinmore Park, Latonia, in the county of Kenton andState of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAutomatic Identification-Stamps, of which the following is aspecification.

The several features of my invention and the various advantagesresulting from their use conjointly or otherwise will be apparent fromthe following description and claims.

In the accompanying drawings, making a part of this application and inwhich similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts, Figure1 is a view in perspective of a machine illustrating my invention and inposition for stamping. Fig. 2 is a view in perspective of the samemachine in position for stamping, but presenting the other side of themachineto view. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the machine, taken inthe plane of the dotted lines 3 3 of Figs. 1 and 2, showing theinking-rolls. Fig. 4 is a section of the disks and their accompanyingmechanism, taken in the plane of the dotted line 4 4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5is a view of the disks and the chamber containing them.

I will now describe my invention in detail.

I provide a cylinder A, which may be made of any suitable material. Thiscylinder is provided with a chamber B for the reception of a number ofdisks C. These disks are concentrically located and are pivoted upon asingle pivot D, and on the latter these disks are free to turn exceptwhen prevented by the stop-rod E. This pivot D is suitably fastened tothe cylinder A, preferably, as shown, by means of washers or plates D Done of said washers D being present at each end of the rod D andsuitably secured to the cylinder A. Portions D of any suitableconstruction and of the proper size are located within the cylinder, oneon one side of the disks and the other on the other side of the disks,and serve to keep the disks together and in place relatively to theopening F in the periphery of the cylinder through which the disks Cproject. These portions D may be an integral part of the cylinder or besuitably secured therein and thereto. When desired, portions Dconstituting an integral part of the cylinder or secured thereto, may bepresent on each side of this group of disks 0 at and near where theyproject through the cylinder. Thus guarded and guided the diskswillalways be kept near together and in proper operative location relativelyto themselves and to the cylinder.

The periphery of each disk is provided with suitable numbers orcharacters. In the present illustrative instance each disk carriesnumbers from 0 to 9, inclusive, and one blank. Each disk is perforatedtransversely as many times as there are numbers or characters on itsperiphery. Thus in the present instance each disk has eleven suchtransverse openings C All of these transverse openings C in the disksare at the same distance from the periphery, and each one has a radiusextending from the axle of pivot D to the center of the character ornumber of the disk that projects through the opening F of the cylinderand in position to be printed from.

The stop-rod E at one end is provided with a handle E and at the otherend with a screw-thread E engaging a screw-thread A in the cylinder A.The function of the stoprod E is as follows: The rod E is unscrewed andwithdrawn from the cylinder and from the disks. The disks are thenrotated until the proper characters or numbers to be printed from are inalinement at the proper point in the open space F of the cylinder. A setof the openings C one for each disk, will then be in alinement, and thestop-rod E is once more inserted into the cylinder and through theseopenings or passage-ways C and is then screwed into the female screw Aaforementioned of the cylinder A. The disks are thus prevented fromturning and held in position to be printed from. It is to be understoodthat there are as many numbers or rows of disks as are desired to meetthe necessities of the work for which the same is constructed. a}.

' The stamp is to be used in marking freightpackages and is to be usedinrailroad business. As railroadcars are generally numbered not toexceed ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine, only fivedisks are shown as in use. It is understood, however, that I do notconfine the use of my stamp to railroad business, but expect that it isto be used for any and all purposes for which it can be applied. Whendesired, other disks of like na ture may be set into the cylinder, andthen the set of disks have numerical or other marking. I may utilizethesides of the space F of the cylinder by marking on it the initials ofthe railroad as, for example, C. & O.

IIO

standing for Cheaspeake and Ohio railroad and on the other side thelocality where the same is affixed and the marking done. I may alsoaffix a number or numbers indicating the number of the employee or gangusing the same. I also affix another indicating the date when thepackage was handled. For instance, as shown, the package was handled onthe 12th day of June, 1904. In this way the package can be identified bymeans of this stamp. The dates T are set in a slot S on the outside ofthe roller. The dates T are interchangeable. It is necessary that theybe put in the slot, as that prevents them from falling out. All of thefigures and characters carried by this cylinder A require to be inked inorder to properly print. For this purpose I provide an inkingroll G anda feeding-roll H. The pivot G of the inkingroll G is suitably supportedat each end in an adjacent support K. The pivot G located in a slot K inthe support K against the pivot in the neighborhood of its support K,presses the spring K secured in a suitable housing K Thus the springthrough the interme diate agency of the pivot G continually presses theroll G toward cylinder A and against the type of the said cylinder asthe type are moved beneath the roll G. In a continuation K of the arm Kthe adjacent end of the pivot I-I which carries the roll H, islocated.This pivot-rod H slides in a slot H in the said arm A spring H locatedin a suitable housing H bears against its adjacent pivot H.

The aforementioned construction is found at both ends of the feed-rollII, as is shown in Fig. 8. Thus theink-feeding roll H is at all timeselastically kept in conjunction with the inking-roller G. At the lowerend of each of the parts K is pivotally located the roller L, adapted tobear against the surface of the object on which the stamp is to printits numbers or characters, &c.

The stamp is to be provided with a suitable handle, whose form may bevaried according to the character of the work which the stamp is to do.One form of handle might be used which enables the hand of the operatorto grasp and almost embrace the upper portion of the cylinder whileusingit. Another and different form of the various kinds 'of handleswhich can be used is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 and consists of thearched piece M, secured to the base M The handle is preferably connectedto the arms K by suitable intervening means. In the present illustrativeinstance the part K is duly pivoted on the axial pivot P of the cylinderA and exj tends upward in the form of an extension K, i the upper end ofwhich is united at K to the cross or basal portion M of the handle. Thesame construction K P K K is present at the other side of the cylinder.

It is very desirable that the stamp after having been rolled aroundduring the operation of-printing from it shall automatically return toits first position in readiness to be again immediately used. If thiswere not the case, the operator would have to guess just how far andwhen to roll the cylinder in order to make the next numbers print fromit. If he did not do this, he would have to Wtnrn the cylinder into itsfirst position in order to easily and accurately use it the second time.

I make provision for the immediate return of the cylinder to its fn'stposition as follows: I provide, preferably, a coiled spring Q, one endof which is secured to the pivot I, which latter is fixed to thecylinder A, and the other end to the arm K at Q When the cylinder A ismoved forward during the operation of printing, the spring is wound up.As soon as the operation of printing is performed the operator raisesthe cylinder from the object. The spring Q thereupon returns thecylinder to its first position. But the spring, if allowed to do so,would at that time carry the cylinder too far around. I thereforeprovide a stop R, fixed to the side of the cylinder A. When the spring Qreturns the cylinder to its first position, it cannot go beyond thatposition, because the stop R then impinges against the arm K.

The dating-stamp T may be inserted in groove S before or behind thespace F, which contains the numbering-stamps on the disks C, or may beinserted in the circumferential groove S at the end of said space F.(See Fig. 4.)

Each edge of the cylinder A is provided with a projecting rim W. Thisrim prevents the cylinder from slipping while being revolved and whileprinting the characters of its stamps on the article to be marked.

It is to be understood that I do not limit myself to any specific way ofputting fixed letters, signs, characters, or words on the cylinder.

What I claim as new and of my invention, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is

1. A cylinder provided with a recess B having two or more disks 0,carrying on their peripheries characters, the said disks being pivotedon a pivot D, and the characters of each disk extending through thespace F in the periphery of the cylinder, and means for setting thesedisks at any proper point of their circle of rotation, the cylinderbeing provided with circumferential grooves, adapted to receive thedating-stamps, and the dating-stamps therein substantially as and forthe purposes specified.

2. A cylinder provided with a recess B having two or more disks C,carrying on their peripheries characters, the said disks being pivotedon a pivot D, and the characters of each disk extending through thespace F in the periphery of the cylinder, and means for setting thesedisks at any proper point of their circle of rotation, the cylinderbeing provided adjoining the space F with circumferential grooves,adapted to receive the dating-stamps, and the dating-stamps therein,

1s lubstantially as and for the purposes speci- 3. In a machine forstamping, consisting of a cylinder provided with type, a handle, arms Kpivotally secured at P to the cylinder extension K intermediate meansbetween the handle and extension K for connecting the same, rollers Lpivoted to the arms K at their lower ends, inking-roller in the terminalmember of arm K, the arm K and the extension K being at an angle to eachother, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

4. In an automatic identification-stamp, a cylinder having a recess, twoor more disks set within said recess, a pivot D for carrying the same,means for setting the disks so that the proper character thereon shallbe in position for printing, a handle, arms K, K, the latter attached tothe handle, rollers L connected to the lower end of arms K, inkingrollG, a device for elastically pressing it against cylinder A, a pivot Pfixed to the cylinder A, a spring Q connected to said pivot at one endand at the other to arm K and a stop R for limiting the action of thespring in returning the cylinder to its first position, substantially asand for the purposes specified.

5. In an automatic identification-stamp, a cylinder having a recess, twoor more disks set within said recess, a pivot D for carrying the same,means for setting the disks so that the proper character thereon shallbe in position for printing, a handle, arms K, K, the latter attached tothe handle, rollers L con nected to the lower end of arms K, inkingrollG, a device for elastically pressing it against cylinder A, theink-feeding roll H, device for elastically pressing it against the rollG, a pivot P fixed to the cylinder A, a spring Q connected to the saidpivot at one end and at the other to arm KXand a stop R for limiting theaction of the spring in returning the cylinder to its first position,substantially as and for the purposes specified.

6. A cylinder provided with a recess havin two or more disks bearingcharacters, the said disks being pivoted on a pivot D and the charactersof each disk extending through the space F in the periphery of thecylinder, means for setting these disks at any proper point of theircircle of rotation, and the peripheral rubber rim on the periphery ofthe cylinder, at each edge of it, substantially as and for the purposesspecified.

JAMES THOMAS EARLE.

Attest:

SAMUEL A. WEsT, K. SMITH.

